Re: NOBL ...

[Max Magee]

It never occurred to me that the reason the Babcock [Milk Fat] test is so touted among the University of Wisconsin folks is related to Sherlock Holmes, but here we are. Absent a trout in the milk, other than asserting its subjective "thinness" how would one make a claim that milk had been watered down?

https://wordhistories.net/2023/12/05/trout-in-milk/

Mr. Clampett stated that the milk supplied by Halloran was something better than the others; but at the same time it was very thin.
[…]
Twenty-four tenders for milk were then opened, at prices varying from 4d to 4½d per gallon.
Dr. Gibson observed that they had not charged for the water (laughter).

The Limerick Reporter and Tipperary Vindicator (Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland) of Friday 25th April 1851

Well, along came Stephen Moulton Babcock in 1890, to the rescue!
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2687

The key component here, is that Babcock was working for the public good, rather than to turn a profit. He knew this would help folks deliver consistent and nutritious milk! A big part of the reason Wisconsin is called America's Dairyland is that the University of Wisconsin was a local engine of progress and ingenuity in the industry:

For the most part, the Babcock test was used by farmers to check the quality of their milk. Sometimes, it was also used to make sure that dairy farmers weren’t diluting their product to stretch the amount of milk they had. The test became incredibly popular and was the primary method for testing milk fat for decades. Not only was it easy and effective, but Babcock refused to patent the device. That made it accessible and affordable as well.

Fun fact, Babcock's legacy lives on with his name on our food/dairy science center, and dairy store, Babcock Hall, as well as one of our best local dairy/ice cream brands!

See the Mystery of The Babcock Tester (a random article I stumbled across with a salacious name):
https://countway.harvard.edu/news/mystery-babcock-tester

Some of you may also have heard the news from the Dairy State that the Green Bay (formerly Acme [Meat] Packers) Packers are playing the Chicago Staley's (now known as the Bears) on Saturday, the 10th of January in the wildcard round of the playoffs. There's a local bar in Greenwich [and Goldwich?] Village that has been adopted (for several decades) by expatriate Packer fans (often former Wisconsin residents). I don't plan to attend their playoff watch party as they prioritize local regulars (as they should) and they're quite a small place, but I do intend to check it out at some point.

https://www.kettleoffishnyc.com/

Max

On Mon, Jan 5, 2026 at 12:39 PM Paige Bigelow <pbige...@mac.com> wrote:

I love it when appellate courts quote their Canon. 

On Jan 5, 2026, at 9:40 AM, Leslie Katz <les...@mymts.net> wrote:

... gets a mention in this decision of the Kansas Court of Appeals:https://cases.justia.com/kansas/court-of-appeals/2025-128399.pdf?ts=1766765695

Leslie

-- 

Leslie Katz

Please visit http://ssrn.com/author=1164057 to find hyperlinks to
papers that I’ve written on topics that are either literary or legal or both